Badger

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see
Badger (disambiguation).

Badger is the
common name for any animal of three subfamilies, which
belong to the family
Mustelidae: the same
mammal
family as the
ferrets, the
weasels, the
otters, and several other types of
carnivore. There are 8
species of badger, in three subfamilies: Melinae (the
Eurasian badgers), Mellivorinae, (the
Ratel
or honey badger), and Taxideinae (the
American badger). The Asiatic
stink badgers of the genus Mydaus were formerly
included in the Melinae, but recent genetic evidence indicates
that these are actually Old World relatives of the
skunks (family Mephitidae).

Typical badgers (Meles, Arctonyx, Taxidea
and Mellivora species) are short-legged and heavy-set.
The
lower jaw is articulated to the upper, by means of a
transverse
condyle
firmly locked into a long cavity of the
cranium, so that dislocation of the jaw is all but
impossible. This enables the badger to maintain its hold with
the utmost tenacity.

Badgers are the largest indigenous
carnivores in the
United Kingdom. They are known to grow to two metres in
length, but never more than 50 cm tall.

Name

The name badger is possibly
derived from the word badge, on account of the marks
on the head; or it may be identical with the term noted below,
the French blaireau being used in both senses. An older
term for "badger" is brock (Old
English brocc), a
Celtic loanword (Gaelic
broc,
Welsh broch, from
Proto-Celtic *brokko). The
Proto-Germanic term was *þahsu- (German
Dachs), likely from the
PIE
root *tek'- "to construct", so that the badger would
have been named after its digging of
setts
(tunnels).

The collective name for a group of badgers is a cete.

Badger is the common name for any animal of three
subfamilies, which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same
mammal family as the ferrets, the weasels, the otters, and
several other types of carnivore.

Classification

Family Mustelidae

Subfamily
Lutrinae: otters

Subfamily Melinae

Hog Badger, Arctonyx collaris

Burmese Ferret Badger, Melogale personata

Oriental Ferret Badger, Melogale orientalis

Chinese Ferret Badger, Melogale moschata

Everett's Ferret Badger, Melogale everetti

Eurasian Badger, Meles meles

Subfamily Mellivorinae

Ratel or Honey Badger, Mellivora capensis

Subfamily Taxideinae:

American Badger, Taxidea taxus

Subfamily
Mustelinae: weasels, martens, polecats and allies

'Family Mephitidae

Indonesian or
Javan Stink Badger (Teledu), Mydaus
javanensis

Palawan Stink Badger, Mydaus marchei

Lifestyle and diet

The behavior of badgers differ based on family. Some are
solitary, moving from home to home, while others are known to
form clans of up to 15.

The badger diet also varies. The Eurasian species eat
anything from fruit and nuts to insects, birds and lizards. The
American Badger tends to prey on small mammals, including
stoats,
voles
and
marmots; in a pinch, it has also been known to eat
woodpeckers. The Honey Badger consumes honey, porcupines and
even venomous snakes (such as the puff adder), among others.

Badgers and humans

Badgers are listed in Appendix III of the
Berne Convention, but are not otherwise the subject of any
international treaty or legislation. Badgers are hunted in many
countries, either as a perceived
pest, or for sport. Many badger setts in Europe were gassed
during the
1960s
and
1970s to control
rabies. Gassing was also practised in the
UK until the
1980s
to control the spread of
bovine TB. Badgers are protected in the
UK by the
Protection of Badgers Act 1992. (An exemption allowing
fox hunters to loosely block setts to prevent chased foxes
escaping into them was brought to an end with the passage of the
Hunting Act 2004). Badgers may not be killed, nor their
setts interfered with, except on licence from the government,
with an exception permitting the killing of badgers in the
attempt to eradicate
bovine
tuberculosis.

See
Eurasian badger for more details about badgers and
bovine tuberculosis.

Badger digging is the process of digging a badger out of its
sett.
Badger baiting dog breeds are used to locate the badger in
the tunnel, after which the diggers attempt to dig down to the
badger. If the badger tries to dig to escape, the dog will
attack. Sometimes radio transmitters are attached to the dog to
help in its location.

Badger-baiting is a
blood sport involving the
baiting of badgers. The badger does not usually seek to
attack, but, when driven to bay, its great muscular power and
tough hide render it a formidable opponent. Consequently the
animals were used in the pseudo-sport of badger-baiting.
Weighing up to thirty-five pounds when fully grown, badgers have
an extraordinarily dangerous bite, which they are willing to use
recklessly when threatened. Showing itself to be a dangerous
adversary for any dog made it a sought after participant for the
fighting pit. In order to use the badger's ability to defend
itself to test the dog, artificial badger dens were built,
captured badgers were put in them and then the dog was set on
the badger. The badger would be placed in a box, which was
furnished in imitation of its den and from there a tunnel led
upward. The owner of the badger puts his animal in the box. The
timekeeper is equipped with a watch and the badger's owner
releases the dog for the fight. Whoever wants to pit his dog
against the badger let it slide into the tunnel. Usually the dog
is seized immediately by the badger and the dog in turn grips
the badger. Each bites, tears and pulls the other with all their
might. The owner quickly pulls out the dog whose jaws are
clamped obstinately onto the badger by its tail. The two are
separated and the badger is returned to its den. Then the dog is
sent back into seize the badger and it again drawn out with the
badger. This scene is repeated over and over again. The more
often a dog is able to seize the badger within a minute, so that
both can be pulled out together, the more it is up to the task
and is considered game.

Teastas Mor is a certificate of gameness issued to a
dog
by the
Irish Kennel Club. It was considered that the discipline
ensured contests between dog and badger were fair. In the past,
to become an Irish Kennel Club
terrier champion, it was necessary for a terrier to be in
possession of a Teastas Mor. These continued until the kennel
ceased to license trials in
1968.

The
dachshund dog breed has a history with badgers; "dachs" is
the German word for badgers, and dachshunds were originally bred
to be badger hounds.[1]

Badgers are popular in
English language fiction. Many badger characters are
featured in author
Brian Jacques'
Redwall series, most often falling under the title of
Badger Lord or
Badger Mother. One such badger contains 'Brock' in his name.
Other stories featuring badgers include
The Boy Who Talked to Badgers (1975 movie),
The Tale of Mr. Tod,
The Wind in the Willows,
The Once and Future King,
The Animals of Farthing Wood,
Fantastic Mr. Fox,
The Book of Merlyn, and
The Chronicles of Narnia. In the
Harry Potter series, one of the four Houses,
Hufflepuff, is symbolized by a badger. The character Frances
in
Russell Hoban's series of children's books is a badger. They
also appear prominently in two volumes of Erin Hunter's
Warriors: The New Prophecy series.

The US State of
Wisconsin is known as the "Badger State," and the mascot of
the
University of Wisconsin is the badger.

Brock University of
St.Catharines, Ontario have the badgers as thier mascot.

References

The Badger Trust (formerly the National Federation of Badger
Groups)

Badgerland - The Definitive On-Line Guide to Badgers (Meles
meles) in the UK

Steve Jackson's Badger Pages

The Virtual Badger Sett (Taxidea, North American Badgers)

Badgers in Spain

Official Athletic Department Site for the University of
Wisconsin "Badgers"